Correction: The original version of this article contained an error. The subhead should have read “UCLA Republicans appreciate outspoken conservative movement, but with reservations”.
At a Beverly Hills rally on Sept. 26, some members of the Bruin Republicans had a chance to meet members of the Tea Party, a growing nationwide conservative movement.
The students listened to singer Pat Boone and conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart speak and sold bottled water and “capitalism cupcakes” at the rally.
Anneliese Mondorf, the external vice chair of the Bruin Republicans, said she attended the rally because the club wanted to reach out to Los Angeles’s conservative community.
Mondorf said while she does not identify with the Tea Party movement, she views them in a positive light.
“I don’t agree with everything they say,” Mondorf said. “But they see something they have a problem with and instead of sitting at home, they are going out and trying to make a change.”
The Tea Party, a grassroots political movement, began as a reaction to the federal stimulus and bank bailouts. They advocate for free markets, cutting taxes and reducing government spending, according to the Tea Party Patriots mission statement.
The movement boasts supporters including former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin and Fox News commentator Glenn Beck.
Voter turnout from the Tea Party movement could decide the outcome of next week’s national elections, said Thomas Schwartz, a political science professor at UCLA.
Tea Party candidate Christine O’Donnell, who is running for Senate in Delaware, has caught national attention for her controversial comments, including one stating that she dabbled in witchcraft. But whether she wins or not, the buzz she has created for the Tea Party could help Republicans.
“She is a lot less popular than moderate Republicans. In that respect, she hurts their chances,” Schwartz said. “But nationwide, the Tea Party has done more good than harm in mobilizing and turning out Republican votes.”
Bruin Republicans has seen an increase of members this quarter, according to Mondorf, a fourth-year linguistics student. Mondorf attributed the increase to students who were dissatisfied with the Obama administration’s performance after the 2008 election.
On the other hand, Eitan Arom, a first-year economics student and a registered Republican, said he thinks the Tea Party may have the opposite effect on the election.
“The Tea Party doesn’t affiliate with any party, but they’re stealing Republican votes,” Arom said. “It’s giving the Republicans a reputation of being crazy, reactionary nut jobs.”
If the Tea Party candidates do triumph in next week’s elections, the effect they could have on future government policies is uncertain.
“I would personally be afraid if the Tea Party candidates won,” said Jay Mahapatra, a first-year political science student.
While Mahapatra and Arom said they think the Tea Party will radicalize the Republican Party, Schwartz said he does not believe the presence of the Tea Party will change much, because ultimately the majority party will control the next Congress’ agenda. If Tea Party candidates help Republicans gain a majority in Congress, it will be the Republican Party, not the Tea Party, that holds the reins of the government, according to Schwartz.
Schwartz echoed the idea that a Tea Party victory would not change the political landscape.
“In every election, one of the two parties tries a new gimmick to get out their supporters. This year the Republicans are using the Tea Party,” Schwartz said.
Phil Gussin, a political science lecturer, disagreed, pointing out that some Tea Party candidates see compromise as a surrender of principles, which may make them less willing to follow the Republican Party’s lead.
Gussin said he is looking forward to finding out the results of next week’s election.
“I don’t think the fun is going to stop after Nov. 2,” he said.